Thursday, March 24, 2011

Snow and Ice Survey Results Released

Speaking to 800 adult Calgarians, the telephone survey, conducted by Hargroup, covered citizen perceptions of road safety, road conditions, communications, efforts by City crews and results related to snow and ice control during and after a storm.

“We’re very excited about the results,” said Sean Somers, with the City of Calgary’s Transportation Department. “We’ve made some changes that we view as very positive in terms of the work we do. We’re excited that work is being recognized and Calgarians are seeing an improvement. Certainly there’s more to be done, but this shows we’re at least headed in the right direction.”

This season, Roads has made operational changes, and tried new approaches: echelon plowing, an interim policy that has crews into residential areas, and an interactive map that shows in “real time” where City crews are doing work, among other changes.

Key findings of the survey include:

Many respondents observed improvements in Snow and Ice Control services overall.

80 per cent of respondents stated they were satisfied with driving or being in a vehicle on Calgary roads as a result of snow and ice control services this winter.

50 per cent of respondents stated that traveling on Calgary roads was better this season compared to previous years.

The City has been criticized in the past for conducting surveys relating to SNIC in th

e summer months. This survey was conducted in January and February 2011. It’s worth noting that a winter snow storm actually occurred during the survey period.

The survey was conducted by telephone (both landline and cell phones) in January and February 2011. It is worth noting that a winter snow storm occurred during the survey fielding period. HarGroup Management Consultants Inc. was engaged to conduct the survey and report the findings.